


Beauty and the Beast ~ Ilia x King Bulbin ("Legend of Zelda - Twilight Princess")

by SweetCoco



Category: The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
Genre: Awkward Romance, During Canon, F/M, Female Protagonist, Friendship/Love, Funny, Heartbreak, Link (Legend of Zelda) Needs a Hug, Love Triangles, Love at First Sight, Male-Female Friendship, Not Serious, Platonic Female/Male Relationships, Romance, Teen Romance, Tragic Romance, Unrequited Love, What Have I Done, What Was I Thinking?, What-If, Wolf Link (Legend of Zelda)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-01
Updated: 2021-03-07
Packaged: 2021-03-12 03:41:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 6,929
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29128938
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SweetCoco/pseuds/SweetCoco
Summary: For all "Legend of Zelda" fans who have played "Twilight Princess" before:You probably know the ABSOLUTE DREAM COUPLE Link and Ilia, his childhood friend.In Akira Himekawa's official manga, however, it becomes clear that Link is not thethe only one who is interested in Ilia: The evil King Bulbin kidnaps Ilia and wants to make her his wife and Queen of the Shadow Realm. To protect her, he hides her against her will in the desert and Hidden Village. When Link finds her again, he and his troop of Bulbins try to recapture her.It is not shown directly in the game as to why King Bulbin is interested in Ilia, so my friend Lara and I made fun of this new "plottwist" and wrote a STUPID fanfiction ... in which Ilia ultimately falls in love with King Bulbin ... even though he's a scary monster. But we already know that from "Beauty and the Beast", hence the title xDPlease don't take it seriously, no matter how serious it was written. Except those who actually ship Ilia x King Bulbin. I don't know if such shippers even exist, if yes, then here is the very first fanfiction about this pairing.Have fun while reading! ;D(Updated weekly)
Relationships: Ilia & King Bulbin (Legend of Zelda), Ilia & Link (Legend of Zelda), Ilia/King Bulbin (Legend of Zelda), Ilia/Link (Legend of Zelda), Ilia/Shad (Legend of Zelda)
Kudos: 2





	1. The sacred spring of Ordon

**Author's Note:**

  * A translation of [Die Schöne und das Biest - Ilya x König Bulbin ("TLoZ - Twilight Princess")](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/753093) by SweetCoco. 



Ilia was sitting at the sacred spring near her home village, Ordon, and scooped warm water with her hands. Expressionless, she let it flow between her fingers on the soft sand and enjoyed the comforting feeling it left on her skin. She closed her eyes for a moment and relaxed in the silence that was only broken by the chirping of birds when she suddenly heard the creak of the purple-flowered gate as it opened behind her.

"Hello, Ilia," said a familiar voice, and she could hear steps approaching her when Link took a seat next to her. "I just wanted to see what you're doing." The young man with the always disheveled, dark blond hair blushed slightly. Ilia sighed. She knew he was in love with her, she could feel it, but she didn't reciprocate his feelings, instead, she just saw him as a good friend. Still, she couldn't stand his constant closeness because seemingly every reaction of hers gave him false hope. Couldn't he just leave her to herself once?

"That ... is great, Link", she replied with a somewhat cheerful voice, but her expression did not change. "I brought you something from the pasture, too ... I hope you like it ..." He slipped his right hand into his pocket and took out some white flowers, which he handed to her. She accepted them reluctantly, but in her mind she cursed his gifts. He now gave her those gifts almost every day, believing that they would make her love him in return. Being showered with flowers was not what she wanted, she desired a completely normal friendship in which you didn't have to worry whether the other is feeling something more for you or not. 

And she was about to tell him just that, as much as it hurt her.  
"I ... thank you ... but I ..." Suddenly the girl with the emerald green eyes was interrupted by a rumble that resembled a heavy hoof clap and made the ground beneath them tremble.

(I'm sorry for bashing Ilia x Link, but the focus is supposed to be on another pairing xD)

"What's that?" Ilia asked startled, interrupting her actual sentence. "I'll check it out." Link got up quickly and ran towards the open gate. He looked in the direction of the Faron woods, from which the noise seemed to be coming, and was terrified.

On the long suspension bridge that connected Ordon to the forest, wild boars with glowing red eyes were running straight towards him. Strange creatures with greenish skin and bow and arrow, which they drew when they saw Link, sat on them. He was just able to save himself back to the spring when the first arrow missed and hit the rock next to him.  
"What's going on?" - "There are monsters riding towards the village ... Go somewhere safe, Ilia!" The girl looked at him with shocked eyes.

"What, monsters? But what about you? Where should I go? " In her panic, she asked him all the questions she had at once. "Just go! You have to! They will be there soon!" She got up and looked around frightfully. It was so calm and peaceful at the spring that no one would ever have thought that monsters were on their way to her right now. Even the birds went on singing undeterred. "I won't leave you here alone, Link!" The young man felt his heart stop for a moment and then beating all the faster. He shook his head vigorously inside. Now there was no time! “Ilia, believe me, you MUST! Go now, damn it!" To see her flinch at his tone hurt himself, but she had to get out of here. Just as she was about to object again, the earth started shaking unbearably.

Link looked around with panic and laid down protectively in front of Ilia. "Whoever it may be... I'll protect you". Ilia swallowed hard. Whoever comes and takes her away ... it would still be better than this vile village and Link. All she wanted from him was friendship. His cheesy nature was really getting on her nerves. "Link! Leave me alone!" she yelled and pushed Link aside. "I can protect myself!", she said confidently. Link was a little confused but somehow let Ilia go. She ran to the bridge and spread her arms.

The hoof clatter was getting louder and louder. "Ilia! What are you doing!? THAT'S TOO DANGEROUS!!" shouted Link and tried to pull her away. She did not move from her spot. "Ilia?" - Before he knew it, King Bulbin stood behind him and forcibly pushed him into the grass. "What a pretty girl ... is she afraid of me, too?", he asked in his deep voice. Link sat half dazed in the bushes and watched the spectacle. Ilia secretly winked at King Bulbin. "Uh ... AAAAAH! HELP!", she screamed and tried to run away, but "fell" (accidentally, of course) on her nose. King Bulbin grabbed her by the neck. "I'll take you with me!" Her thoughts went crazy while still being relieved in a way.

(Unfortunately, Link is pushed quite often. Forgive this violence xD)

"ILIA! Let her go, you monster!“ She heard Link desperately calling her name repeatedly and trying to run after King Bulblin, who was already riding back into the forest with his huge wild boar. His subjects stopped him and pointed their arrows at him. "One step further, and you will feel pain that you have never felt in your life before," they threatened him with strange-sounding voices, not as deep as their king's, nevertheless still dark.

"Ilia!" he shouted desperately one last time before she and King Bulblin disappeared into the fog. The smaller Bulblins waited a while to make sure that Link couldn't follow them anymore before they followed their master into the fog, too.

When he was alone again, the Hylian burst into tears. On the one hand he was kind of relieved that they hadn't got far enough to reach the village, although on the other hand he had lost Ilia. Impossible! She just couldn't be gone! He had to go after her. Imagine what the monster could do to her! The thought made him sick. He ran back to Ordon as quickly as possible to inform Rusl and Ilia's father, Mayor Bo, of the events.

Ilia only faintly assumed what was happening around her. King Bulblin pulled her along by the torso as he and his subjects rode through Faron woods. It was in fact a very sunny and peaceful place, unfortunately monsters have been sighted more and more often lately. For their own safety, the residents of Ordon were not allowed to enter it anymore, even if it was the only way for them to get to Hyrule Castle Town.

"What are you going to do now, master?", She heard a voice next to her ask and could vaguely make out the contours of another Bulblin riding alongside his king. "We will return to our camp in Gerudo Desert immediately," he replied. "I'm satisfied with our prey.", he glanced at Ilia. She was a gorgeous girl with her emerald green eyes, soft features and short ash-brown hair. "She'll be mine."


	2. Hostage in Gerudo Desert

Ilia woke up and looked around: she was in a hot area with a lot of sand. "I've never been here ... where am I?" It was only then when she remembered what has happened before - "Finally I'm off Link. He was so annoying". A shadow appeared in front of her as King Bulbin stood in front of her. "Do you like it here?", he asked and smiled. "I've been observing you secretly for a long time, I noticed you straight away" - "Thank you," Ilia said and giggled. King Bulbin laughed. "He looks so hot," Ilia thought to herself, "a real man".

A Bokblin chimed in: "Master, a dangerous enemy is on the way here". King Bulbin grunted and looked back at Ilia. "Don't worry, you are safe here," he said to her, and she smiled. Their eyes met. "Tonight we'll have pork for dinner ..." he said and turned around to walk away. Ilia sighed dreamily and her stomach rumbled. She somehow liked it here ...

Link's eyes filled with tears. "Ilia ... she was kidnapped". After he tried to run to her, he was turned into a wolf. He didn't care, he would do anything for her. That monster! Midna's yawn woke him from his thoughts. Soon I'll be with her ... he was running through the woods ...

Ilia spent the rest of the day sitting in one of the isolated stone buildings and waiting for the evening. A couple of sleeping wild boars were her only company. The tightly bolted doors, the bars that let in only a few rays of sunshine as well the patrolling Bulblins outside showed her that she was being held captive here, however, she didn't feel anything like that. In fact, it was never any different from Ordon. Ilia felt an urgent need to talk to someone about it. It wasn't the same with Link since she knew he was in love with her and with the other Ordoners it wouldn't have been possible anyway. To be kidnapped was better than having to wait any longer in the boring forest among the same 13 people. Especially since her kidnapper didn't seem evil either.

Epona's steps got louder as Link galloped through the field of Hyrule. He could already see the volcano. "The children are safe ... but Ilia ..." - just thinking about her his eyes filled with tears. How unable he was to save her. This embarrassment in front of her desperate father when he had to confess it to him. And now the Gorons were in danger. "Hey, concentrate," Midna called as she pulled his long ears. The days dragged on ...

Ilia had already got used to her everyday life. The pork also tasted delicious to her - they had no such thing in Ordon.  
When it got dark again, she said goodbye to King Bulbin, whom she has got to know better over the course of the days - a really likeable guy! She lost herself in his jet black, glowing red monster eyes and turned all red when she disappeared.

She laid down in her little room, which her King Bulbin had built and decorated for her by hand, and pulled a blanket on. The cold wind of the desert blew through her hair. Just as she was about to fall asleep, she heard a loud trample and a monster horn and caught King Bulbin and his subjects on their boars. "Is there ... an enemy?" She thought as the Bulbins rode away. "Ma'am ... don't worry, they are only going to Kakariko to hunt prey and mark our territory. They will be right back", a Bulbin with a torch reassured her. Ilia smiled and looked into the distant stars ...

A little later she fell asleep and got lost in the realm of dreams. It was the first time she had a dream about the Bulblin leader. What she was dreaming irritated her a little, but in a way it was also ... beautiful? In her dream she saw him and herself sitting in the sand at the spring of Ordon. Just like with Link, only infinite times better. He lovingly stuck a purple flower into her hair and she put a hand on his cheek as if hypnotized. They looked deeply into each other's eyes for minutes without a break. At that moment she woke up ... unfortunately.

She looked around, it was still in the middle of the night and through a small window next to her she could see the endless starry sky of the desert with its countless constellations. Everything was quiet. A kind of worry came over her. Where were the Bulblins? Where was ... he? She has been told they were moving to Kakariko but would be back soon. What if something happened? Without thinking too much, she got to her feet and left the little hut to stomp out into the cold sand of the desert. Damn it, it was really freezing here at night.

A Bulbin noticed her: "Ma'am ... what are you doing so late at night, it's cold and dangerous". Ilia shrugged her shoulders and stared into the distant horizon. Upon closing her eyes again, the image of King Bulbin's face at the spring reappeared. If only you were here, she thought, and went back to her room.

The next morning she was woken up again by a loud monster horn. "Is that ... him? My strong green warrior?" She looked out of her little window, but couldn't see him. There were only two Bulbins outside, talking excitedly, one of them badly wounded. "What happened?", Ilia panicked. She stormed out of her room and ran to them. "Oh, there you are, Ma'am ... we have bad news. When we were getting fresh food in Kakariko, yes, fresh children to grill, someone attacked us and our revered King Bulbin fell from the Eldin bridge ... We offer deep condolences, what a tragic fate, sigh "

Tears rolled down Ilia's cheeks. Who allowed himself to kill her hero? She screamed in pain and kneeled on the sandy ground in agony. "We suspect to know the perpetrator, he was in Ordon with you, Ma'am. We fear that he is on his way to Lanayru." Her eyes filled with hatred. "Link? Was that you, Link? How could you ... I'll never forgive you for that ..." she gasped through her tears. The entire camp went silent, one could hear the grains of sand whirling.

"We have to go in search of King Bulbin's corpse ... Eldin ..." said a Bulbin, finally, and swallowed hard at the thought of the great loss.

"No, no .... that can't be true ... he must be alive ..."

Link proudly stretched his sword towards the sky. The monster was dead, but he still didn't know where Ilia was. He carried the unconscious Colin back to Kakariko and held him in his arms. You had to take Ilia away from me, and you almost wanted to take Colin away from me, again, he thought to himself. "You ... saved me, didn't you?" Colin whispered to him when he opened his eyes. "You can surely help the Gorons in the mine, too, right?" Link nodded gently and Colin fell asleep exhausted. "Don't worry, Ilia, I'll find you soon ..." he whispered to himself before looking up at Death Mountain.


	3. Eldin - Full of hope

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a bit shorter than usual, but I promise there'll be longer chapters from now on :)

The following days were unbearable for Ilia. She didn't know whether she should be more sad about the death of her hero King Bulbin (or King Bu, as she affectionately called him) or more angry with Link. How could he do such a thing to her? Couldn't he let go of her? Most of the Bulbins had long since left in search of his body to bury it appropriately. 

"King Bu ... I wish I could have told you how much I love you! You gave me my freedom! Why did you have to die so early ... ah, King Buhbuhbuh - SOB! " She cried in pain and screamed into the desert. When the sun went down she would run out and look wistfully at the sky, without knowing what to expect. She felt alone and lonely, and somehow she wanted Link back at her side, who would chatter off her ear with his cheesy talk and his flowers ... - no, she never wanted to see him again ... never. 

In the meantime, Link did everything to see Ilia again. Firstly, he had to help the Gorons in the mine. "Don't forget about the fused shadows!" - Midna reminded him sternly when his thoughts were with Ilia again. And so he fought his way through the hot volcanic areas and lava, on and on ... 

The days passed terribly slowly, for both Ilia and Link. Ilia didn't eat or drink anything and didn't even cry anymore. The Bulbins were very worried about her, and without a leader they didn't know what to do. Those who went in search of King Bulbin still haven't returned ... until now. 

One night the Bulbins spied a glimmer of torches on their watchtowers and gusts of sand behind them. They came back, empty-handed. "Ma'am, we're sorry, but ... we couldn't find him". Ilia didn't even react and spaced out. What if he's alive then? She smiled a little. My hero, she thought, where are you? 

From then on, Ilia looked out of the camp every morning, hoping that he would come back. She had this feeling in her heart that he was still alive. But what if he urgently needed help? She was getting restless and the Bulbins still didn't know what to do. Most of the time they sat around on the sand playing with pebbles or knocking each other out with their clubs for fun. It was like kindergarten ... some of them went hunting on their own and every now and then brought home delicious pigs, which Ilia slowly began to eat again. It was a nice evening, and she danced and sang around the campfire with the Bulbins. Slowly she found her fun in life again, thanks to them, who have now become her best friends. Suddenly there was a loud clatter of hooves in the background. It was like she'd heard it before, at the sacred spring of Ordon. It was King Bulbin! 

She ran out and sure enough - it was him! He returned alive and healthy! She couldn't believe her luck at the moment. As fast as possible, she ran and stopped in front of him, with a big smile on her face. "I knew that you would come back ..." - "Ilia, I will always come back, just for you, my pretty bride. Wow, I didn't eat anything ... give me a pig" - "Of course. That must be so exhausting for you ". She handed him a piece of the meat that he chewed up like a monster. A hot monster anyway (what am I writing? XD). 

Their eyes met, and it felt to Ilia as if the world was standing still. How he survived, how he got back, none of it did matter to her. She smiled at him, and he grinned back with his holey teeth ... his subjects now also noticed his presence and ran towards him at once. "It goes on! We have to get this green wimp who dared to push me off the bridge! He will be in agony, I promise you. REVENGE!," announced King Bulbin proudly.

"To the north of here, behind the bridge, in the land that is protected by the light spirit Lanayru, you will find tho one you are looking for," said the light spirit Eldin to Link. "So, now only the last fused shadow is missing. You know what to do, Link", Midna reminded him. 

The Gorons were saved and the children were safely housed in Kakariko. Now he just had to go to Lanayru, where the castle was ... and where he would hopefully find his Ilia ...


	4. Vengeance in Lanayru

From then on, the Bulbins and their honorable King Bulbin moved with their pigs and tents through Hyrule. King Bu had given orders to withdraw to a safe place, cut off from the world, so as to stop Link before he could reach Lanayru. His spies, or the few who were not slaughtered by Link on the field, had informed him that he had already crossed the Bridge of Eldin and was about to clear the last part of Hyrule from the shadows. It was imperative to prevent this, since the Bulbins had an alliance with the shadow world and Zant. In exchange for a free batch of pork for King Bu, people whisper around.

Some of the guards found their way back to the Gerudo Desert to protect their territory. King Bulbin had no intention of finally leaving his temporary home in the desert. However, this place was too unsafe and inconvenient at the moment. So it didn't take long until they found the perfect hiding place in Lanayru, while still close to Eldin, namely in "Hidden Village": An abandoned ghost town, consisting of broken shacks made of rotten wood and crumbling cement. The only thing they found alive there were cats, but they didn't bother them too much, because Ilia, the future queen of the shadows, took a liking to it and King Bu would give anything to make her happy. Even though he noticed that she was slowly starting to miss her friends and her father in Ordon.

He promised her that after the wedding and the vengeance they would pay a visit to her village and he would introduce himself to their father as the perfect son-in-law. Ilia had to smile again. "I can't think of any other husband more perfect than you and even if dad doesn't like you, I will always love you," she breathed dreamily.

As Link approached Hyrule Castle, the Bulbins needed to act quickly. “Ilia, you have to go to Hyrule Castle and pretend to have lost your memory. Convince Link to ride to the Bridge of Lanayru above Lake Hylia somehow. I will wait for him there. The Bridge of Eldin was taken away by the shadow beasts already and teleported to our desert so there is no alternative route. You know what to do!". 

Ilia agreed, "My Bu ... I believe that you will make it. Take care of yourself, I don't want to lose you." - "You know, I am immortal ... I will always come back to you. I suspect that Link likes you, and he will certainly protect you well until we meet again, but don't forget to take care of you, too. Don't fall for his words, pretend you don't know him when he starts talking about romance. You have to keep him away from you so he can’t take you away...from me", King Bulbin soothed her and brushed her golden-blonde hair away from her face with his poison-green monster claw. A sweaty layer of mud and grease stuck to her head. 

"He has to pay for what he did to you, my beloved," she sobbed in frustration, hugging him one last time and turning away to do as she was commanded. To Hyrule Castle, under the care of the Bulbins and the shadow beasts …

This area was as new for Ilia as it was for Link. They have never ventured further than Ordon. It felt like the whole world was theirs, like they were free as birds. With a focused facial expression and keen mind, the two did what seemed right to them, almost as if their thoughts were alike though so different.   
"Ilia, I will find you, I will defeat all the monsters in the world to see you again. I know that you are very close. I'll be with you in a moment, hold on..." Link said to himself quietly and firmly, before going into the shadow world and turning into a wolf for the last time.

The glowing clouds billowed in the sky, black smoke enveloped him at every step. The world looked pretty normal to Ilia. She didn't even notice what was happening around her, she just felt a little different. As if she wasn't quite herself. And then there was this strange feeling, deep inside, like an unfounded fear that grew stronger with every second. Her heart started beating faster and her hands were shaking. It was then that she noticed the sky was different, darker and gloomier than usual. Luminous beetles scurried around and shadow beasts shuffled aimlessly through the steppe, similarly to grazing cows, but Ilia ignored them. They looked creepy, but she knew that they would not harm her, just like King Bulbin. You should not judge someone by their looks. King Bu...she already missed him. And Link missed Ilia for what felt like ages. The world is so unfair.

She could already see the gate to the castle when Ilia recognized a strange figure on the floor. It crawled at the edge of the path, weak and groaning like a sputtering engine. Well, it was probably suffocating. Ilia resolved not to let herself be dissuaded from her plan, unfortunately her curiosity was stronger. As she approached the figure, she noticed that it was a little Zora child. At that point she didn't even know what Zoras were, but he was small, cute and clearly needed help. Maybe she would be able to persuade Link to transport him over the Lanayru bridge, since he couldn't say no to that. Two birds with one stone!  
Ilia was secretly happy about her genius idea while worried about the boy as well. "What happened to him?" She asked herself and the Bulbins around her shrugged. "King Bulbin definitely has nothing to do with it ... may I help him?", The Bulbins nodded a bit uncertain, but still awarding, and so Ilia picked up the little Zora and ran into Castle Town. The Bulbins waited outside until she disappeared into the crowd ...

Meanwhile Link ran on, as luck would have it or rather calculated fate, towards the castle, until he stumbled over a small bag. He sniffed it briefly when it hit him like a truck: The smell of Ilia! That is her! A pink coloured trail on the ground opened up to him and so he sprinted off at full speed. "Hey, not so fast! Probably a girl, eh?", Midna giggled on his back and so the two disappeared into the depths of the shadows, just like Ilia into the crowd before...


	5. Safe in Telma's bar

"Help, can someone help me? This boy here is hurt!" cried Ilia with Ralis in her arms. The rain ran down her arms, her bare feet smacked in the puddles. People were running around frantically, criss-crossing, and a person accidentally stepped on her foot. "OUCH," she croaked out in pain. "Sorry," someone muttered dismissively, not registering her with his gaze, and kept running. She ran on and on until she noticed a side alley in the middle of the crowded market. Exhausted, she sat down on the steps there and rested. 

"Now what?". She pondered where and how best to expect Link when he saw her again. "He'll probably hug me out of joy...or kiss me...", horrified at this thought she remembered Bu's words again about not getting wrapped up in his sweet talk. Sure, she felt sorry for Link too, he was after all a friend of hers, too, who had known her since childhood. But her great love was King Bulbin. It was her duty to stand on his side. She had to choose between friendship and love...and she had done so. "I think..." she whispered uncertainly.

At that moment, her eyes wandered over the sign with the clearly legible inscription "Telma's Bar". A light was burning under the door and Ilia didn't think twice. She lifted the injured Zora boy from her lap, who by now looked even weaker and paler than before. With her shoulder she prised open the door to the bar and gasped. "H-help...he needs help..." she staggered in. Dripping wet from the rain and chilled like a frozen Zora, she was promptly met by confused looks. "At least it's warm here," she thought to herself. A stocky, tanned woman with braids and provocative clothing rushed up to her and took Ralis from her. "Goodness...what happened here?" she asked anxiously in a strong voice that was almost maternal. Ilia didn't know why, but this woman was instantly sympathetic to her. 

"Hey, you there, bring something to drink immediately. And you, call the doctor over, quick!" she called out, setting Ralis down on one of the tables. Then she turned to Ilia, hoping for an answer to the question she had asked earlier. It took Ilia a moment to understand. "Um...uh yeah, I picked him up on the steppes of Hyrule...I mean I found him outside, I really don't know what happened." - "On the steppes of Hyrule? That's full of monsters, isn't it! That's very dangerous, what were you doing there? ...You're not from here, are you?". Ilia shook her head hesitantly and looked at the ground. "I'm from Ord-...I mean, I don't really know myself. To be more precise, I can't remember anything at all. Not even what my name is...I..." she spoke shyly, looking up from the floor into the woman's worried eyes. The woman smiled slightly and asked her to sit down. "...The most important thing is that nothing bad happened to you out there. Get some rest, you're welcome to stay with me. And we'll take care of the Zora here, don't worry about it. No matter where you come from - you're safe here...and by the way, my name is Telma, everyone knows me here..." - "Telma...", Ilia whispered with relief and smiled. "...Thank you"

"Bulbins, did my Ilia arrive safely in Hyrule Castle Town?" - "Yes Master, she picked up another injured Zora boy on the way...however, that won't stop her from the plan we agreed upon..." the one Bulbin who had accompanied Ilia earlier spoke up. King Bulbin's expression remained sombre, he stomped a few steps to the side before turning around. "Good," was all he said. His face was blank, he missed her, too. However, he had to do his duty and preserve his reputation. "Tomorrow is the day, we move to Lanayru’s bridge. If you spot Link, shoot with your bows. If he rides away, ride after him. If he comes to the bridge, I'll slaughter him." His monster claw clenched into a fist. "Yes, honoured King Bulbin," muttered the Bulbins. Fearlessly they gazed up at the black rising sky. 

"Hello, where did you come from?" a friendly voice asked Ilia. She jumped up briefly, thinking it was Link. However, when she lifted her head, she looked into a strange face. It was a boy, pretty much exactly as Link. He had auburn, wavy hair and round glasses. He was dressed rather unusually by Ilia's standards: Chequered stockings, braces, a brown jacket and underneath a white shirt with a red bow around his neck. In general, he was totally unusual for Ilia, because she didn't know many boys her age apart from Link. King Bulbin was admittedly far beyond her own age, although that did not matter when it came to their love for each other. 

She frowned in confusion. "I-I...I don't know! WHERE DO I COME FROM?" she asked him suddenly, overcome by panic. The young man became quite worried, but Thelma assured him that this was probably just temporary amnesia. "Oh, I'm sorry about that, I didn't know...all right then, I'll just introduce myself. My name is Shad." Shad smiled mischievously, making it clear to Ilia that she had nothing to fear. "...And I'll just call you Lisa. That's a nice name...just like you, huh?". 

Ilia swallowed and became totally agitated inside. Now this didn't fit into her plan with King Bulbin at all! Link showering her with flowers and hearts was bad enough, but now HE was falling in love with her as well. Somehow it was different from Link. Link was a normal friend to her, but she hardly knew Shad. He was a stranger to her and yet so charming. Ilia was happy that she was not alone in this big town right now and that she was so well received, although in reality she was lying to them all. 

She noticed that Shad was still looking at her until Telma sternly called him over. He groaned in annoyance, laughed and ran off. Ilia's eyes watched him go and she noticed she was blushing a little. "What am I doing? I love King Bulbin, I'm doing all this for him...for Link or Shad to fall in love with me, I can't let that happen! I don't want to hurt them, but...I have to...I'm sorry..." she thought sadly.

Meanwhile, Link ran on and on in his wolf form until he caught sight of the magnificent Hyrule Castle. The gate to the castle town was open and Link followed Ilia's scent trail inside. To him, the town was deserted, lonely and not at all like he had imagined it in his childhood. The happy, colorful festivals, the markets, the smartly dressed people, the diversity, the attractions, the proud princess. None of that existed at that moment. The alleys were deserted, instead of people, only their ghosts flitted about. At that moment, only one spirit had the highest priority of all: that of Ilia...he followed her without taking his eyes, or rather his nose, off her trail and finally stopped in front of a slightly open door that followed to a bar. He activated his senses and saw her. The girl of his dreams, who had been as far away from him as the moon for so long, was now so close. And somehow not, because she couldn't see him. 

She sat on a stool and looked into the void, her gaze wandering past Link. Around her, some people were standing and talking about various things, but he paid no attention to her. Link was glad that she was all right. He would have liked to ask her how she was. He would have liked to tell her that everything would be all right because he was with her now and could protect her. Would have taken her in his arms and made all her worries disappear. He would have kiss- "Hey, where are you and your thoughts? How long are you going to stay with this girl? Stupid that she can't see you, tee hee hee...Let's go, you can come back afterwards. Now we have a job to do!", Midna shook him awake by pulling his fur. 

Link looked back one last time, into Ilia's sad eyes, and then left, not without promising to come back as soon as he could. Now that he had found her, he would never lose her again. He would just have to do something quickly and then...then he would go back with her to Ordon and his peaceful life. Quickly he ran off and set about retrieving the radiant dew from Lanayru. Motivated and determined, he chewed up all the shadow monsters, finally bringing the light back to Hyrule.

Once he had transformed back, he did not hesitate for a moment to ride to Ilia. Yes, he knew there was still a Fused Shadow. He knew that his mission was far from over, but Link was still following his heart, his love: Ilia...


	6. The great disappointment

With quick steps Link ran purposefully, as if remote-controlled (xD), to Telma's bar. At the door handle, he stopped short. "Wait...what am I going to say when she sees me..." - His question became moot when the door was yanked open from the inside, almost hitting Link in the head. 

A puny, old, not very sympathetic and definitely not a friendly man with thick horn-rimmed glasses and a long nose stepped out. "The Zoras are not my specialty!" he grumbled as he passed. "Doctor, wait!" a soft, innocent girl's voice rang in Link's ears. It sounded very familiar and he recognized it immediately. He stopped, rooted to the spot, when he spotted Ilia. Ilia quickly looked at the ground.

"The plan is working! He has appeared here, just like Bu predicted!". Her heart raced as she thought of King Bu's words. She waited to see if Link would react in any way. She would just ignore him then, she resolved. After what felt like an eternity, Link slowly got his words out. "Il-" he tried to address her, but Ilia simply turned around as if she hadn't heard him. "It's me, Link!" he took a step toward her. Ilia was unsure how to handle this now. She quickly walked over to the Zora boy at the table and sobbed melodramatically.

Shad stood next to her and put his hand on her back. "Don't worry, I'm sure he'll get better soon. We'll find a solution!". Ilia had to stifle her grin. "I wonder what Link is thinking right now when he sees this.". Well, Link was extremely shocked. He didn't understand the world anymore. There was Ilia, his great love, and he had just been ignored by her. And now she was standing there next to another boy and he was touching her, too. He felt jealousy burning inside him, he would have loved to push this guy away from Ilia. What does he allow himself?

"Keep your hands off her! I'm her boyfr-" - "Yeah, yeah," Telma grabbed him aside before he could do any serious damage to Shad. "Hey, you know that girl, don't you? You...she's suffering from amnesia and doesn't remember anything, unfortunately…" - "Wh-what! How- w-," Link felt his heart drop. A huge "NOOOO!" spread through him and thundered in his skull. He wanted to wake up from this nightmare, but this wasn't a nightmare. This was the harsh reality. His Ilia didn't remember anything, not even him and the beautiful moments they had spent together. Whether it could be cured or not, no one could give him an answer. Ilia turned around and saw the expression on his face. 

His loving, deep blue eyes, which felt nothing but sincere love and happiness for Ilia, filled with tears. He was angry, though he himself did not know at whom exactly. At Ilia for losing her memory? She couldn't help that (shhh, actually she could xD). On Shad, because he took advantage of the whole thing to throw himself at her? At least he was nice to her. He was...he was pissed at King Bulbin. He suddenly felt a tremendous hatred towards him. 

Ilia watched him anxiously. She got a guilty conscience and felt terrible that she hurt his feelings so much. "What have I become like? He's my family. Sure he bugs me, but I kind of like him too, even if it's just friendship. Oh Ordona, am I a bad person...and King Bulbin is going to kill him! Or Link will kill him! What am I going to do! There's got to be a way to get out of this in one piece - gosh, what have I gotten myself into...". Auru interrupted her stream of thoughts. "That reminds me...there is a priest in Kakariko who can treat other races as well.". The topic was turned back to the injured Zora, who was still there.

Ilia saw this as an opportunity to become a better person. "Let's leave right now! Time is running out, I don't want him to..." - "Lisa, it's not so easy, Kakariko is far away by carriage and the way there is very dangerous". Link was now following the conversation as well, and he too saw this as an opportunity to help Ilia. "Wait! I-I can take her there.". Silence fell in the room, all eyes were on Link. Shad frowned suspiciously. "You- you can do that?", Telma asked him. "I faced many monsters on the way here and survived. Besides, I know the priest personally. I will be the bodyguard.". "Really? Well then..Lisa, get everything ready, we'll leave as soon as possible!".

Ilia nodded and quickly ran away, while Link looked longingly after her. Shad turned to him after a while, "Hey, you there...take good care of her. So she is...an important employee of the bar". Employee of the bar? Link laughed inwardly at this joke. She was his girlfriend, his great love. That puny guy didn't know anything, he thought to himself. Annoyed, he tugged at his belt and took a step closer to Shad. "I'll protect her at all costs, don't worry," leaving him speechless as he walked outside with Telma and Ilia.

They had prepared a carriage in which Ilia was lying with little Zora in his arms, and a horse steered by Telma. Link was standing next to it with Epona, checking his weapons one last time. Shad took this opportunity to talk a little with Ilia. Smiling, he looked into the open window to the carriage. 

"When the Zora is cured, will you come back to us?". His hand grabbed the edge of the window and Ilia did the same, placing her hand right next to his. "Um...yes, of course!" she forced herself to smile. Although she would love to run into King Bulbin's arms, Telma's bar did sound appealing somehow. It certainly wouldn't hurt to stop by there again. 

"Definitely not only because of Shad, what an absurd thought," she told herself. Shad was not unattractive and she felt that, nevertheless she would never cheat on her beloved Bu.   
She turned to the window on the other side of the carriage, where Link was visible. She felt sorry for him, the way he looked wistfully into the distance. She could see that he was hurting badly. She gathered her courage and addressed him shyly. "Thank you very much Li- uh....Gladiator? What's your name?", well aware of how terribly played it sounded to her ears. Surprised, Link stared at her, but then he too gathered his courage. 

"Link," he spoke his name calmly. He smiled kindly at her, though his eyes remained sad. "Link?", Ilia unconsciously repeated his name, leading Link to believe that she remembered him again. She sat motionless for a moment until she could control herself again. "Li- ah! Uh I-I'm so grateful to you," at which point his expression darkened again. This made her think. "I'd better tell him the truth as soon as possible, I can't do it anymore like this...".


End file.
